In Ten Years
by Strawberry Neko
Summary: Ten years ago, an important promise was made...now the only question is, can it be kept?
1. A Promise To Be Kept

In Ten Years Ok, first things first. I don't own any of the characters mentioned in this  
story. Rumiko Takahshi does...Except little Sakari-chan, she's my character. ...And...that's about it for now...heh...on to the story  
  


* * *

  
"And in ten years...you promise you'll come find me? You promise you won't forget me?"  
  
"Yes, I promise. You need not worry."  
  
"But how will you know it's me when you see me? How will I know it's you?"  
  
"Somehow...I will know. You will know as well. And as long as I'm still alive this very day ten years later, I'll find you. Now go. It's dangerous here. Get as far away as possible."  
  
"Alright. You promise you won't forget?"  
  
"I swear it, Sakari-chan. Now go!"  
  
He pushed her out of the way.  
  
"Keep running, Sakari-chan! And don't look back! Not even for a second!"  
  
He watched as she disappeared into the forest, running as fast as her legs would take her, and not glancing back for even a second. He turned to the ferocious demon that stood in front of him, the one who murdered Sakari's family and burned her entire village. It roared fiercely, it's red eyes glowing in rage. The boy took a step closer.  
  
"Murderous demon! You must die!" he cried. He held out his hand, revealing a black hole in the center of his palm. Removing the beads that concealed it, he took another step closer to the giant worm and cried, "Wind tunnel!"  
  
...  
  
A fifteen- year-old girl with long, wavy black hair sat on the roof of her home, staring into the horizon. The sun was setting, filling the skies with miles and miles of fiery colors. It was beautiful. But that's not how she saw it...  
  
'Maybe he had forgotten...'she thought. 'That stupid bastard...If he came anything close to forgetting, I'll slit his throat and dump him into the ocean!'  
  
A soft breeze ruffled her silky hair and relaxed her a little. The day...the very day Miroku had promised to visit her on ten years ago was tomorrow.  
  
'Maybe he's on his way. I live out in the middle of nowhere so it could take a little longer for him to find...' She stretched out on her back and stared up into the sky. 'He had better be on his way...or else...'  
  
...  
  
Miroku gazed up at the stars that dotted the evening sky. He knew that tomorrow was the day that he was to find Sakari. And he hadn't even begun searching yet...  
  
"She's going to kill me..." he mumbled under his breath.  
  
"Who?" someone asked all of a sudden. He turned to face Sango, who lay next to him in the lush grass. He had forgotten that she was there.  
  
"Hmm?" he returned, acting as if he hadn't heard her question.  
  
"Who's going to kill you?" she asked again. Suspicion lurked in her voice and her eyes seemed to be demanding an answer. "Well?"  
  
Miroku didn't answer. Instead he smiled nervously. "What do you mean, Sango- san?"  
  
"Is there some other 'lover of your past' that I should know about? Another girl like Koharu?"  
  
"Of course not. Trust me. You must have mistaken what you heard for something else."  
  
Sango gave him a final look of suspicion before getting up and returning to the small campfire that Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, and Kirara huddled around. Miroku stayed stretched out on the grass. He knew that he had to go search for Sakari, but he wasn't sure how to find her. 


	2. Miroku Disappears

Ok, first things first. I don't own any of the characters mentioned in this  
story. Rumiko Takahshi does...Except little Sakari-chan, she's my character. ...And...that's about it for now...heh...on to the story  
  


* * *

  
...  
  
"Your village...it has been destroyed..."  
  
"What about my friends? Are they okay? How's Father?"  
  
The boy sighed. These were the questions he did not want to answer.  
  
"Where are they?" "Your village is in flames..."  
  
"I didn't see Father or any of my friends in the flames...so...that must mean that they are somewhere safe, right?"  
  
"Not...exactly..."  
  
"What do you mean, Miroku-san?"  
  
"The villagers...I..."He stumbled on his words, trying to express it in a way that wouldn't hurt her even more. "They...there were no survivors."  
  
"What...?"  
  
"No one made it out of the flames alive...Your father...your friends...they're no longer here..."  
  
"But...Father said that Mother left us right after I was born and he said that he would never leave me...ever. Father wouldn't tell a lie..."  
  
"Sakari, you have to understand that some promises can't be kept. Someday, you will see what I mean."  
  
"But...I don't want to...Miroku-san, you won't break a promise to me like father did, right?"  
  
"I won't."  
  
...  
  
The fire flickered as a light breeze passed by. It seemed as though it would go out for a moment, and then it became even brighter. Kirara mewed in wonder of why Miroku lay alone in the cold instead of accompanying them by the fire.  
  
"What's Miroku-san doing over there anyway?" Shippo asked.  
  
"Come to think of it...he's been acting strange since last week. He seems to always be nervous about something," Kagome replied.  
  
"He's probably thinking about asking another eleven-year-old girl to bear his child," Inuyasha contorted. "It's none of our business so why should we care?" He sleepily turned to his side and lay down. "Let's just forget about it. It's not like he hasn't been weird ever since we met him."  
  
...  
  
"Everyone! Wake up! Miroku's gone!"  
  
Shippo's cry awakened everyone except Kagome. It was a clear, sunny morning with the sweet peacefulness of sparrows singing...disrupted by Shippo...and then of course, Inuyasha.  
  
Kagome awoke to an angry Inuyasha, a Shippo who had an enormous lump on his head, an annoyed Sango, and a Kirara who looked like she was about to kill someone on the spot.  
  
"Good morning..." Kagome said in confusion.  
  
Everyone glared at Shippo. "I'm surprised that you could stay asleep through all the yelling, Kagome-san," Sango commented.  
  
"Did...something happen?" Kagome asked.  
  
"Miroku's gone!" Shippo wailed. "I woke up this morning and he was gone!" 


End file.
